So you’re a true craft beer fan and want to go straight to the source.

Hop head, you lucked out coming to Cincinnati for the 2015 MLB All Star Game. This city may not get a lot of national attention, but it sure holds its own when it comes to brewing good damn beer. There are 24 good damn craft breweries in the Cincinnati area and another 12 just a short drive North in Dayton, Ohio. You just happened to make your way to one of the hop-densest regions on the face of the Earth. And you thought your trip here was only about baseball.

Things you need to know:

The city’s first brewery opened in 1812.

Cincinnati was one of the first American cities to brew and popularize lager style beer.

The Over The Rhine (OTR) neighborhood that is now home to some of Cincy’s most popular restaurants, pubs and breweries – was once Cincinnati’s largest brewery district.

A series of tunnels run under the OTR that were vital to Cincy’s brewing heritage.

In 1890, Cincinnati – home to 36 breweries – was dubbed “Beer Capital of the World.”

The Christian Moerlein Brewing company was established in 1853. It closed during prohibition and was resurrected in 1981.

Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams) has a brewing facility in Cincy where it at one time brewed 60% its beer.

Cincinnati has multiple brewery tours. Shauna Steigerwald‘s review of the best ones in town for the Cincinnati Enquirer is all you need here.

The Cincinnati Area Breweries

In alphabetical order and including a link to Ratebeer.com beer ratings